Death to Wishy-Washy Reports: Simple Edits to Put the Authority Back in Your&nbspWriting

The author's views are entirely his or her own (excluding the unlikely event of hypnosis) and may not always reflect the views of Moz.

True life confession: Although I've worked with some of the smartest SEOs, architects, and CPAs in the business, you couldn't always tell from their writing. Which is a problem. Because while some of them are client-facing (so the client gets to know their smarts firsthand—either in person or on the phone), some are only known by the lackluster reports they turn in.

This is a post about how anyone (whether you're an expert in SEO, PPC, social media, or even... content marketing) can write a clearer, more persuasive report. And the lessons contained herein can help you with any form of corporate communication, whether you're writing for a client or your boss.

Get ready to sound smarter.

Be assertive

Being assertive doesn't mean you should stand on your desk and shout your opinions like you're auditioning to be the next Hulk. Instead, have confidence in the data and recommendations you're reporting and convey that confidence in your writing. Because if you're not confident, you might not be ready to write the report. So go double-check your research and then use the following tactics to sound like the authority you are:

Ditch "I think"

I think there are a lot of things you could possibly say to show a client what they might or might not do depending on how they interpret your recommendations.

Notice how that sentence had no spine? That's because it's filled with empty phrases—words that do nothing for the sentence but convey how unwilling its author is to make a point.

Phrases like "I think," "I feel," and "might" are couching words—things you say when you're trying to leave yourself an out, and they make you sound passive and unsure. Go through your report and check for couching words. Ask yourself if you need them (in case of actual uncertainty like "Google might…") or if you can cut them out and strengthen your points.

Dump the passive voice

Mistakes are often made as we try to get around to a point with our writing.

One of those mistakes is in failing to use the active voice. Every sentence has an actor (subject) and an action (verb). While it's nice to vary your sentence structure sometimes, stick to "actor commits action" when you have something important to say (especially when you have bad news to break).

Be careful with dependent clauses

If you want to sound confident and decisive, lead with an independent clause instead of a dependent one (like I did here).

Time for a (mercifully quick) jump back to elementary school grammar. Independent clauses are the ones that can stand on their own as a complete sentence. They have a subject, verb, and usually an object. Dependent clauses don't.

Dependent clauses are often added to an independent clause to increase the level of information in a sentence. Let's flip that last sentence so you can watch the dependent clause move from the end to the front:

To increase the level of information in a sentence, dependent clauses are often added to an independent clause.

Dependent clauses are very useful, but some writers fall into a pattern of starting most of their sentences with them. That delay of the independent clause can make you sound like you're hesitating to get to the point. It can also make you seem passive or like there's something you're trying to hide. That's not how you want to come off in a report.

Choose a point of view (and stick to it)

Some companies prefer to write from a formal (and somewhat) distant third person perspective where "I" is never used; I prefer the more conversational first person.

You can write your report from any point of view you want, but be careful with those pronouns.

The most common mistake I see is for the writer to get indecisive with the pronouns and start throwing around the word "we" as in "we need to fix your title tags." Which could mean that the consultant is taking responsibility for the title tags, or it could be a general suggestion that the title tags need fixing.

Try instead, "your title tags need to be updated; we plan to start work on those during the second month of our engagement." Still uses the word "we," but now it's more obvious who's doing what (and will save you some embarrassing followup conversations).

Write for your audience

Industries with a high degree of fiduciary responsibility are often more accustomed to the use of a formal tone. Meanwhile, writers in other industries, like fashion, automotive, and anything related to the Internet, can get away with a much more casual voice.

You may have noticed by now that I start a lot of sentences with conjunctions like "and" and "but." I also use contractions. Both are part of a conversational tone that's "Mozzy," but if I was writing for a different audience, I would button the top button on my style (and maybe even add a tie).

You know your clients and their style of communication. It's reflected in everything from their RFP to the latest call. Try to mirror their tone (unless you think they came to you for a big shakeup) and your audience will feel like you understand their culture and needs. That means your work is more likely to be accepted.

Explain things

Remember that you were hired because of your unique expertise. That means that you know things the person reading the report doesn't.

When you're introducing a concept your client or boss likely hasn't encountered (or might be a little rusty on), give a short refresher to keep them engaged.

Don't over-explain things

No one likes to feel like an idiot. Going step by step through all the things anyone could ever want to know about a concept (whether foreign or not) has the potential to not only annoy your audience, but also distract from your main point.

If you come across a concept in writing your report that requires extensive education of your reader, either create an addendum where they can read as much as they need to, or schedule a phone call, training, or other way to get them all the info they need.

Use numbers (wisely)

Ninety-nine percent of SEOs have more data than they can ever reasonably convey to the client.

That's because clients (at least sane ones) don't want to know what every single keyword ranked on every day last month. They want to know if their overall rankings are up or down, what that means for their business, and how to push rankings upward in general in the future.

Numbers are very useful (and can be very powerful) if you're using graphs and tables that tell a story, but without your interpretation, they’re all kind of meaningless.

So although you have access to all the numbers in the world, the real magic of your report is in getting inside your reader's head and figuring out what they need to understand about the numbers. Then use the analysis portion of your report to translate that data into answers.

Write fewer words

Concision is an art. Redundancy is annoying. Write as few words as you can to convey your point.

Don't let big words interfere with meaning

An immense vocabulary can obfuscate significance.

This is true of using big words to sound smart and also if you're spouting jargon at people who don't understand it. You might notice from reading this post that I use very little jargon. That's because the vocab words I learned in creative writing won't mean anything to most of you and I can usually find a clearer way to express marketing jargon.

So if your clients (and all the people who will read the report) regularly use words like "earned media," "freemium," and "EPV," you can use them too. But if you have any doubt, try to find a way to use a more accessible word or add some context so everyone can follow you.

Think about general scanability

Your clients are busy. You want them to get the most out of a report they might only ever scan.

Keeping each paragraph to one topic with a topic sentence makes it easier to scan.

Using bullet points (when appropriate) will help your reader digest all that information you've created for them.

Help your reader out by making all your great information intelligible.

Employ an executive summary

Keep the person who signs your checks in the loop with a few words.

To write an effective executive summary, give the highlights:

Why was the work undertaken?

What problems were found?

Next steps

The summary should run between a paragraph and a page (depending on how long your report is). That means you want to save all that delicious analysis you've slaved over for the report itself.

Use templates at your own risk

I know, a lot of the things you're saying to one client are 90% the same as what you're saying to the next client, and creating a template just makes your job more efficient. But if you aren't carefully reading the resulting document, you might be making a mistake (like using the wrong client name or giving them instructions for Omniture when they use GA) that takes much longer to clean up than writing an original report would have.

Trust me, about the third time you're reading over the same words in the same order (even if for different clients), you are too far inside the template to see the mistakes. But your client is reading this report for the first time ever and they won't miss a thing :/. Speaking of which...

Proofreading isn't optional

You aren't qualified to proofread you're [sic] own work.

Not saying anything about your reading or grammar skills, but I'm 99% certain that you've spent so long staring at that report that you are beyond spotting your own typos. Find a second reader. If you're in absolute dire straits and can't find a buddy, read the report aloud to yourself.

Feel smarter already? I hope so. Because you've worked too hard to pull all that information together just to have it fall flat because of a bad report. Tell me about your report writing disasters (and things you'd like help with) in the comments.

I remember the first time I saw a client eat an SEO for breakfast (though not literally). It occurred not because the information was weak, but because the delivery of said information was flaccid. You could feel the air going out of the room as the SEO spoke. The client saw it as an opportunity to pounce.

Speaking clearly, with authority and vigor, is a must for anyone who is client-facing, even when you aren't in the same room with clients. (Our voice's carry differently based on the position of our bodies, which helps explain why we shouldn't lie down when talking on the phone, if the goal is to convey strength.)

This is why we must always go beyond knowing the information. Equally important is the need to know how the information we're delivering should be conveyed: forcefully, confidently and with as few ums and ahhs as possible.

Ronell, first of all, I kind of want to live inside the image of your first paragraph (despite the fact that I've been there and felt that discomfort--it was so well put). Thanks for expanding the conversation about authority to verbal communication--that's so important as well! :)

I really like this. The revisions are incredibly effective. It reminds me of great fiction, once the author gets rid of unnecessary words, spruces up their grammar and uses their active voice to tell a story, its read perfectly.

I have bookmarked this. I know it's going to help in my reporting and general client communication.

Thanks, Preeti! I'm glad it was helpful. Fiction is my first love and while I know there has to be some differentiation between fiction and business writing, I'm happy to push that edge as far as I can :) You're right that there's a lot to be learned in the space between those disciplines. Cheers!

That's great feedback, Joseph! Thank you. I admit that as a word person I struggle with visuals. The first iteration of these images was orange text on white which was DULL. I would be glad to have suggestions on how to make word-based examples both easy and interesting to look at. Until then, we'll just let that proofreading example burn out our retinas :)

I don't know if these would be relevant, but I love using PicMonkey for creating interesting/simple text-based visuals. Word Swag is amazing for mobile, I do wish they would create a desktop version, but they have great inspiration on their social media of attractive word-based visuals, it may be a bit designer-led but it's nice to adapt from :)

Isla, I don't have any specific examples like Preeti, but I do like the yellow text used. I think just a variation of the colors would have been fine but they are both very bright versions of orange and blue without enough contrast between them.

Beautiful and confident writing! Appreciate you taking out time for such an elaborate writing. Yes, what I take home as the most important is being confident and being an authority yourself when you kwow what you are talking or writing about. Thanks again and cheers!

Another good post Isla, totally agreed with the points you raised. I have also observed pretty much the same problems with content lacking writer's authority. At times people use passive voice and make it jittery and obnoxious to read resulting in total loss of readership and quality.

Hi Isla, loved this post. Using the active voice more frequently is something that's really helped my writing. I also find that writing a piece (be it an email or full length blog post) and then reviewing it the next day can really benefit your work. Returning to your content with fresh eyes can work wonders, and oftentimes cut out the need for editors.

"Your rankings declined last month. That could be due to a fluctuation in the algorithm or it could be that we need to revisit the title tag work we performed over the last quarter."

Perhaps I just found the first example in your post "A mobile-friendly format will increase time on page" to be a bit too cut and dry. I agree that NUANCE plays a huge role in the understanding and communicating of SEO and related fields.

And you're right, Leah, that those tiny examples don't really do justice to what language can really do (except maybe in the case of the proofreading one which would have pained me to write more). :) Thanks for a great conversation!

I ask the customer what it is they need to know and how they need it presented to them. Some don't want it in writing, just a 30 minute phone call telling them how things have improved and the plan going forward. I even have one client who requires me to pop in to see them. The last too are so much quicker to do than writing the reports :)

I think what I'm hearing you say, Christina, is that sometimes the best report is the one you don't have to write. And I agree. Meeting a client on their level and giving them the kind of communication they want and can absorb is always a good thing. I'm personally paralyzed by pop-in meetings, but they can be so effective (and require zero proofreading) :)

Cheers Isla - report writing and communication is something that is often overlooked and I particularly liked the POV advice. Clarity is essential in communication; ambiguity creates indecision and misunderstandings!

I hope I don't end up over thinking every sentence in my next report....

I hear you, Simon. I should have added the best advice I ever got in grad school which is, "You can tell your editor to go take a break when you're writing. Just remember to invite them back as you're revising" which helps me deal with the crippling paralysis that can happen when you get in that over-think mindset :)

Isla, your blog post will help me a lot in my further work. I've already been using some of these techniques, but others were just really "eye-opening". I'd suggest you to also re-purpose your blog post into a nice, printable document, which each of us SEOs could print out and pin above our computer screens.

Nice comparison and contrast of the do's and don'ts Isla! Delivering a clear and concise report is sometimes easier said than done when handling a variety of main points. It's also worthwhile to have a new set of eyes look over your report that way you know for certain that you didn't miss any typos, or need clarification on anything else. Effective communication is at the heart of any successful organization but it does take due diligence.

Thanks, Vishal! Reports do get more complicated as you have more points to focus on. Starting with a good outline and maintaining that structure in the final version using strong headings can make even the most complicated report easier to read and digest.

Hi Isla, this took me right back to BA English Language - categorical assertion, passive voice etc. etc. - loved it! I'm working on a project that relates to SEO and discourse analysis, I'll keep you posted if you're interested?

I think this is a concept that women in general should apply to our everyday interactions. My company works primarily with manufacturers and often I am the one missing the Y chromosome with the exception of maybe a receptionist or 2. I learned early on that there was always going to be the naysayer and to be ready with quick & confident facts.

Myself like other women tend to be wordy. I found that when I gave just the headlines & bullet points rather than the entire story, I stopped getting that glazed over expression of information overload. Less definitely can be more when you want someone to actually understand what you are saying.

And I'm really glad you brought up gendered communication. I haven't done much research into this, but my recollection is that women are more likely to use "I feel" than "I think" and definitely to beat around the bush before making a point. Of course this is a wild generalization, but paying attention to the communication style of any audience (even if it's your co-workers) can teach you a ton about the culture and how to either meld with it or change it (as necessary). Not that we should have to change ourselves to suit culture, but that's a whole other conversation ;)

I applaud you for finding the communication style that's effective in your workplace!

"Try to mirror their (clients) tone" is the most important thing. It is the starting point for creating persuasive report. Cannot apply the same tactic for all persons. Neither your advices cannot be applied in the same way to everyone. E.g. "clear pov" is good for someone, but for someone else can sound like you're angry, so "Mozzy" tone will be better.Yes, you use very little jargon. The same is true for most Moz posts, and I sincerely hope that you will continue with this practice.In addition to the main purpose, part of this post also helped me to better understand why semantic data consist of triples: subject-predicate-object.

Authoritative address places writers in a difficult position of exacting the choice persuasion when communicating with clients. A conversational tone in reports appears persuasive, non-intimidating, and a deviation from the vacuity perceived in an impersonal address. This; however, is a fallacy. Isla McKetta hit the mark with her concise guide of tools for effective writing. A report dictated assertively and that carries itself with the brevity of concise yet educational information will imbibe its audience with the same confidence with which it was written. A critical truism Isla includes is and always will be to know and write for your specific audience. With this acquaintance, the postulates of effective composition are better actualized rather than applied half-heartedly, no matter the type of composition, with the consequence of still ineffective writing. Applause to Isla for colligating this compilation of critical writing advice and, in so doing, demonstrating its value by writing with the apriorism of the article itself!

Thank you. I'm not a natural copy writer (actually I'm an engineer by education) but I do blog as a hobby and I love to learn about how to improve my copy. Is there any way to practice these concepts? It doesn't come naturally to me. Although I grasp the ideas I would need to deliberately practice them before they start to work themselves into my writing on their own. Thanks!

Thomas, you're going to hate me, but the best practice for writing is more writing. Probably the very best thing you can do is write your heart out, then read what you've written aloud (I catch SO MANY errors this way), and then run it against this list or any "writing dos and don'ts" list that resonates with you. Keep doing it and you'll be amazed at how much better your writing is in a year. I like to save my old drafts for that reason, because I always look back and am like "who wrote that?" :)

I come from a family of engineers and so I know it can be frustrating to not have the right answer right away, but this kind of practice will help you develop your own unique voice and that's the best writing of all.

"Numbers are very useful (and can be very powerful) if you're using graphs and tables that tell a story, but without your interpretation, they’re all kind of meaningless."

This is spot on, I am working on a new report and I was only focused on its layout and design. especially when you are trying to automate the process of fetching the data, it's so easy to believe that the reports only need good graphics, good fonts and colour to make them more authoritative. Reports are often the last communication/interaction with your clients, and therefore, has to reinforce your message, expertise and brand.

Thanks for the tips. This is applicable in all forms of client-facing communications.

While this is certainly an important subject to discuss so that we can all become better communicators with clients/team members, etc... I don't know that I agree with the first 2 sections ("I think" and passive voice).

In general, it's always a better idea to use an active and confident tone of voice when speaking or writing. However, in our line of work, nothing can ever be "proven" per say. While we may think and hope that optimizing a website for mobile will help increase time spent on a page, this fact can never be proven. Our reports and statistics show correlation, not causation.

I do not believe that it is fair or accurate to express these correlations as facts to lay people. We can never convince clients that we are correct 100% of the time. The best we can do is use prior knowledge from studies to influence future decisions.

This is just my opinion. Please let me know if you have any thoughts on this.

It makes a big difference how we think the client is viewing our expertise. My thought is that most clients have hired their consultant to "take care of the problem" and consider their advice to be gospel (or at least as deep into gospel as the client cares to dig). In that case, repeating "I think" before every assertion is not only redundant (because the client knows the report is coming from the consultant), it also weakens their trust in that consultant (because the opinion is constantly being couched--and it can sound like "I thiiiiiiiink"). My assumption could be completely erroneous.

What I think you're saying is that the consultant is not in fact all knowing (always true) and that it's important to remind the client of that. And while I do not advocate for telling the client a lot of BS as though it was truth (that's bad), there are better ways of being transparent about correlation, causation, and conjecture while still using a straightforward writing style. For example try these two options against each other:

Your rankings have declined in the last month. I think that's because there was a fluctuation in the algorithm.

Your rankings declined last month. That could be due to a fluctuation in the algorithm or it could be that we need to revisit the title tag work we performed over the last quarter.

Both examples allow for the fact that no one really knows why Google chose to rank something else over the client's site, but the first example actually leaves open the fact that the consultant doesn't know if there was a fluctuation in the algorithm--could be true; doesn't inspire much confidence. Meanwhile, the second option reminds the client of the knowledge gap but builds trust and confidence by offering viable possibilities.

And while the passive voice has its uses, in general "[actor] commits [verb]" is a stronger, more straightforward/descriptive, and concise way of writing, and most business communication would benefit from its exclusion (see what I did there?). If you have a handle on the nuances of the passive voice and when you can wield it to give exactly the right impression of what's happening, then you're a better writer than most (I know I struggle with it). For many, though, the passive voice is a crutch used (intentionally or not) to get around saying exactly what happened.

So it sounds like we agree about providing clear, transparent information to the client. I'd encourage you to play with the language to see what you can make it do for you, and then trust your gut about what's conveying what you most want/need your client to know.

If you knew how many times I wrote "I think" as I was drafting this answer... :)

Isla, it's responses like these that keep me coming back to the comments section here at Moz!

Here's one way to use the passive voice in a report; when you want to emphasize the object of the sentence. For example, "The increase in web traffic was influenced by several factors," rather than "several factors influenced the increase in traffic." Both of these sentences are probably OK, but I want to highlight the increase in web traffic, and so I put it out front.

Agreed! Your points in this article echo 90% of my thought process while writing any email or report for a client. "I think" is one of the most persistent ways we tend to undermine our own authority as consultants. In general, it's also helpful to be aware how many times the words "I" and "me" and "my" show up in the writing. Reducing them helps keep the communication client-focused. Thanks for the excellent post!

I agree that good work has to be clear and well written. Of course we must prevent errors. I also have a habit of when I write an article on my website I call my partner to read it and to correct any faults that I have not seen. Whenever we can escape if things have reviewed the text thousand times. As noted here, four eyes are better than two ...